Crossed Lines
by plazmah
Summary: Takes place during The Widow's Son in the Windshield. Booth and Angela talk about Brennan's recent behaviour of not working with Booth in the field. Written because CAnn gave me a prompt I couldn't resist. Thanks to LilAni for the beta.


Title: Crossed Lines  
Author: smitha-r  
Fandom(s): Bones  
Pairing(s): BrennanxBooth  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Booth and Angela have official business to attend to, but along the way they talk about Brennan's recent behaviour of not working with Booth in the field.  
Author's Notes: Takes place during The Widow's Son in the Windshield. Written because CAnn gave me a prompt I could not resist.

-

"Get your coat, Angela. We're going for a ride." Booth said, ignoring the confused looks both she and Hodgins gave him as he walked by Angela's desk without stopping to explain. All this weirdness with Bones was finally wearing thin on him and the last thing he wanted was a two-pronged squint attack on what he had or had not done to deserve Brennan's cold shoulder over the past few months.

Just as he walked through the doors of the Jeffersonian, Angela caught up to him. "What's this all about? You gonna tell me where we're going or do I have to play twenty questions?" She asked, slightly out of breath.

"We're going to pick up one of our suspects and take her back to the FBI Building for questioning." Booth replied, unlocking the doors of the company SUV and getting in.

"Isn't this the sort of thing you and _Brennan _should be doing?"

Booth cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, you know people really well. You can do that mind-reading, body language thing." He glanced over at Angela, who was looking at him with an expression that screamed _how stupid do you think I am?_

"Right." She didn't sound like she believed his explanation at all.

"It was Cam's idea!" Booth blurted out, attempting to convince her that this was all part of the plan. "Come on, what's so unbelievable about taking you to an interrogation instead of Bones? It's perfectly normal. Perfectly fine."

There was a slight smile on Angela's face. "Booth, we both know that you and Bren have been working together long enough to have a special bond. You guys use that special bond to solve even the toughest of cases. I may be good, but compared to what the two of you have? It's not the same."

Booth squirmed in his seat, knowing there was no way he could lie his way out of this one, not with Angela. "Yeah, I know. But you've seen how she's been lately."

"I know."

"She's always busy in the lab. Every time I ask her to come out to the field, it's like pulling teeth." Booth began to get worked up, spilling out his frustrations as he drove. "She always has an excuse to stay back. And with all the replacements for Zack that apply, you'd think she'd pick one by now."

"I _know_, Booth. But there's one way you can fix this, you know?" Angela gently said.

Booth mulled over her suggestion, thinking about what she was implying. _Let Brennan's dad go? Take back the charges? I can't do that._

"No, Angela. It's out of the question." Booth said seriously.

"What's holding you back, Booth? What's stopping you from telling her how you really feel?"

"I've already told her."

"You _did?_" Angela gasped and grabbed his shoulder with surprise. (And a little bit of glee, he noted) "But... when? What did she say?"

"What do you think? She denied everything."

"No _way_." Angela covered her mouth in shock. "I know denial is the sort of reaction Bren would have, but still." She shook her head and then squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. "Oh honey, are you okay?"

Booth frowned, a little confused by her reaction. "I'm still frustrated that she won't join me out in the field, but otherwise? Peachy."

"Good for you." Her hand was still on his shoulder, offering comfort. "Don't worry, she'll see the light in time. Before you know it, she'll understand what you've been saying to her. And then she'll fall into your arms and you can both finally have that hot, passionate sex everyone's got their money riding on."

"... What?" Booth's brain completely disconnected at the sudden idea of sex with Brennan. What the hell was Angela talking about?

Angela looked in front of them and her eyes went wide. "Car!" She shouted, forcing him to slam the brakes. "And as I said, soon she'll reciprocate to your admission of love."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there!" Booth waved his hands about as they idled at the stoplight. "What admission?"

It was Angela's turn to look confused. "You just told me you told Brennan your true feelings."

"My true-" Booth sighed, realizing what had just happened. "I confronted Brennan over the fact that she's mad at me because I arrested her father. And she denied it."

"Well, _duh_." Angela replied. "You really thought her behaviour would have such an easy explanation? Brennan is way more complex than that. She's acting the way she is because she was freaked out by the fact that Jack and I left the two of you standing together at the altar. It forced her to face her heart and how she feels about you. But she's can't deal with the depth of her emotions yet."

"That..." Booth took a breath. "That is the most cracked out, ridiculous theory I have ever heard."

"Great, you're _both _in denial." Angela slumped in her seat.

"No, because there's no denial to _deny_. And have I mentioned that you squints really suck at communication?"

"Oh please, that was your fault as much as it was mine."

"Felt like a typical squint screw-up to me." Booth chuckled before remembering something Angela had said. "Wait. Did you say people have _money _riding on us?"

Angela said nothing, gave him a cheeky smile instead. Booth shook his head and prayed that for all the strange notions she had planted in his mind, her expertise would pay off in the end.

-end-


End file.
